I got Zorch from a vet tech at my dog and cat vet's office.
When she heard I had iguanas, she immediately said,
"Great!! You have to take mine."
She and her husband had had Smeg since he was a hatchling.
Smeg, was his name before, but I thought it was very disrespectful, so my hubby renamed him Zorch.
He had been fed a diet of some fruits and vegetables and some dog food.

When she brought him to my house, on a Thursday, I was told that he had been in the small box he was transported in for 2 days!
She didn't want to handle him and that was the only time her husband would make to ready him for travel.
I immediately got him out, and was surprised that he was fairly tame, considering that he hadn't been handled at all for two to three years (also by her admission).

I set up his cage and proceeded to get to know him.
At first he was a very nice, tame ig, and was even able to do a Petsmart adopt-a-thon weekend where he was picked up, petted, and handled by multiple strangers without any problem.
Shortly after this, he started to become aggressive towards me, and given his bright orange color, I assumed it was breeding season.
I caged him for my own safety, but continued to try to handle him, sometimes with no success, but I wasn't giving up.

Two days before he died, I walked into the iguana room and he didn't stand up to posture at me like he always did.
At first I took this as a sign that maybe the breeding season nightmare was over, but as the day wore on, I knew there was something wrong.
The next day, I took him to see someone who does rescue in my area.
She gave him fluids, but didn't offer much hope--I think we both knew he was dying.
I took him to my vet the next day and he diagnosed late stage kidney failure.
It broke my heart to do it, but the vet and I both decided he had suffered enough.
I stayed with him while he was euthanised and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I felt it was the least I could do.

Even if he only knew me briefly, I think he knew someone who cared about him was with him in the end, even if all I could do was provide chin rubs and soft words.
We buried him in the back yard, and I hope to plant collards there this spring.

Thanks again for listening,
~Toni